


drain the whole sea (get something shiny)

by alchemystique



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemystique/pseuds/alchemystique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She doesn’t so much rush as stumble numbly up the stairs, her eyes on his heart (oh god, <i>his heart</i>) as he trails down them, his gaze wary as he follows her progress towards him, and it makes sense, now. It makes sense why she’d felt something <i>off </i>in him, why she’d sensed deceit but no true lie, why his kiss had been both terrifyingly desperate and just not quite him. Not quite <i>them</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	drain the whole sea (get something shiny)

**Author's Note:**

> I have refused to read post 4x11 fic until I finished this and I know I'm going to regret that when I sit down and go through my dash but this would not leave me alone. Missing scene fic. Title pulled from "Take Me To Church" because that was what I was listening to when this stupid thing took hostage of my muse.

She doesn’t so much rush as stumble numbly up the stairs, her eyes on his heart (oh god, _his heart_ ) as he trails down them, his gaze wary as he follows her progress towards him, and it makes sense, now. It makes sense why she’d felt something _off_ in him, why she’d sensed deceit but no true lie, why his kiss had been both terrifyingly desperate and just not quite him. Not quite _them_.

"Swan," he says, a nervous edge to his voice like he’s trying to find the words to explain himself, like there is something he’s done that he wants to confess but he doesn’t quite know how.

“ _Shut up_ ,” she manages in a rush as she meets him finally, him one stair above her and looking for all the world like he thinks his heart is about to be crushed anyway. She see’s the rush of black swirl in the middle for a moment, and then cede farther away as she takes him in. She’s so angry right now, and she wants to be angry at him but…

But she isn’t. Not even a little, not even though he’d _promised_ her he would continue to stubbornly survive anything and everything that got thrown at them. All she can feel is that rush of relief that he’s okay, all she can think is that she _hasn’t_ lost him, and that is enough.

She’ll deal with Gold later. Right now she’s got a heartless boyfriend and a possibly distraught evil queen and god, what even is her life?

"Emma, I -."

She cuts him off with a fierce glare, and doesn’t even think about it as her hand whips out to grab the glowing heart from his hand.

It’s not until the thing actually flickers brightly in her hand that she even gives a second thought to what she’s just done.

The intimacy of the act is not lost on either of the occupants of the clocktower. Killian stares at her like he’s swallowed a beehive whole, shock and trust and a whole host of things she pretends she doesn’t think about glimmering across his face while her mother coughs discreetly from her place at the elevator doors.

"Should we…maybe…go?"

The clang of his footsteps as he follows her down the metal staircase grasps at already frayed nerves, and they don’t speak as they shuffle into the elevator one by one - her mother first, and then Emma, the heart cradled in both hands and she _refuses_ to look at the thing as Killian’s radiating warmth rushes in behind her.

She can feel her magic clawing at the edges of her consciousness, beating a rhythm not dissimilar to the pulse of the organ in her hand - and _that_ is definitely a thought for another day.

The elevator jangles merrily downward, and Emma takes a deep breath and pretends the space between her and Killian doesn't feel like a bubble preparing to burst. "How long?" she asks, and her mother looks like she desperately wishes to evaporate.

He doesn't respond right away, and she doesn't realize until he grunts miserably that her fingers have curled tightly around his heart.

 _Shit_ , this is _weird_.

"After our date," he finally mutters, and Emma feels a very strong urge to find Rumplestiltskin _right this moment_ and give him a long overdue fist to the face.

"Your hand." It's not a question, and thankfully everyone present has the self-awareness not to pretend they don't already know that.

A number of things are falling into place, and Emma knows _eventually_ they're going to have to hash this all out - her stupid, _idiot_ boyfriend has no doubt been shanghaied into doing Gold's dirty work and there will be repercussions.

Just...not for Killian.

They haven't even made it out of the library before she's decided that - whatever it is he's done, the only person she's willing to blame is their mostly evil resident all-powerful sorcerer, and if she has to defend Killian's dumb (incredibly shapely) ass, she'll do it without complaint (and a whole lot of threatening glares).

She makes no comment on the way her mother practically _vanishes_ once they exit the front doors, halfway across the street and nearly jogging away from them without so much as a 'see ya later'.

Killian doesn't quite _jump_ when she reaches one hand down and grasps at his palm, lacing their fingers together as she leads them both toward Granny's, but from the way his gaze seems to be trying to burn a hole into the side of her head, she knows he's still surprised by the gesture.

One of these days, they're both going to stop being so surprised by how much they care for each other.

They slide in through the side door - this town in plenty used to weird things by now, but Emma is in no mood to explain why she has a still-beating heart clutched in her grasp.

When she drops his hand he squares off like he's preparing for a fight, something Emma is also in _no mood_ for, so she nips that right in the bud. 

" _You're an idiot_ ," is what comes out, which, by the defensive set of his shoulders was maybe the wrong thing to say. "Don't you _ever_ do something like this again. I mean it. No more deals, and no more secrets, and for the love of god _stop_ trying to fix things that aren't broken.

She ignores the way the heart pulses in her hand at those particular words. (She likes to pretend she's really good at ignoring things.)

" _Promise_ me, Killian."

"I promise." The words are immediate, tumbling from his lips like a curse - his eyes hold her gaze carefully, and she doesn't break the contact until she finally decides she's tired of seeing something _missing_ in his gaze.

She's _maybe_ a little mad at him, she decides as she studies the heart carefully - the swirl of black has ebbed a bit, and when she looks up at him, his expression is edging towards a smirk.

Yep. She's mad. So when he starts to tell her to be _gentle_ (what a fucking jerk) she does the only thing she can that won't actually scar him - she shoves it right into his chest, his pained grunt all the satisfaction she needs to get over the bout of indignation.

It's like a veil being lifted, she can _tell_ the exact moment everything _clicks_ , his eyes impossibly blue as his pupils dilate (he looks at her like she's the sun, like she brightens everything around him, god, how had she even for a moment missed that?) but a second later his lips are on her, and the smile that curls up into his mouth as he twirls her straight back into the wall threatens to tear her straight in two.


End file.
